The seat must be
designed for use as a booster seat.
Be sure you check the labels and manual for the seat to find out whether the
seat can be used as a booster. Booster seats that are designed for use at
the table are not for use in vehicles. All boosters seats should have a
label indicating that it meets motor vehicle safety standards.

The seat must fit well in the vehicle.
If the seat tips when going around corners or slides around on the vehicle seat,
it is not compatible with your vehicle. A compatible seat should stay
upright when occupied and the base should remain against the vehicle seat back
at all times.

The child should have adequate head support.A backless booster can be used in seating positions where the seat backs are
higher than the child's head or head restraints are available. A
high back
booster must be used if the tops of the child's ears are higher than the seat
back or head restraint. If the top of the child's ears go above the top of
the booster seat, move to a backless booster if head restraints are available in
the vehicle. Move to a taller high back booster if there are no head
restraints available.

The lap and shoulder belt must both be used.
There are no booster seats that can be used with just a lap belt, with the
exception of shield boosters which are not
recommended. The lap and shoulder belt must both be used with a booster
seat. Using only the lap belt risks head and
neck injury. Using the shoulder belt risks submarining (sliding under the
belt) and ejection.

The seat belts must fit the child correctly.
The lap belt should fit snugly over the child's upper thighs; the lap belt
should not ride up onto the stomach. The shoulder belt should cross the
shoulder comfortably without slipping onto the arm or rubbing against the neck.
The "arms" on the booster base and the shoulder belt guides should help keep the
seat belts in the proper place.

The back seat
is the safest place.
Everyone would be safer in the backseat - in
the middle, if possible. The back seat is safest because it is farther from any
point of impact. A front seat passenger is 30% more likely to be injured or
killed than a rear-seat passenger. Use the back seat position that offers
a lap/shoulder belt and a good fit.

*NOTE*
In mini-vans, the safest position may be in the MIDDLE seat, as the rear has
less "cargo space" to absorb a rear impact.

Avoid using
add-on products
Anything that
did not come in the box with the seat could potentially put your child at risk.
Adding seat belt covers could cause the the belt to be positioned incorrectly.
Also, never use an aftermarket belt positioning
device in place of a booster seat.

The child
must fit properly in the seat There are
several conditions that must be met for a child to fit correctly in the seat.

A child is too small for the seat if:

The child weighs
less than 40 lbs. A seat with a full harness is safest and should be used until the child reaches 40 lbs.

The seat is too wide or too long.

A child is too large for the seat if:

The child weighs
more than the seat's upper weight limit.

The top of the
child's ears are above the top of the booster
seat (high back booster) or vehicle seat back (low back booster).

The seat is too narrow or too short.

Used seats may be dangerousNever use seat that is damaged, under recall*, over 5-6
years old, or has an unknown history. Check out Not New? for more information
on any seat that is not brand new before using it.

*Some recalls do
not affect the safety of the seat, and the seat may safely be used to transport your
child until the problem is fixed. You will need to contact the manufacturer to
find out whether any recalls on your seat must be fixed before using it for
transporting your child.